A Book Spy Review: ‘An Army of One’ by Tony Schumacher

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, buckle up. Tony Schumacher’s An Army of One is a rip-roaring adventure set in a post-World War II alternate universe.

In Schumacher’s rich and vivid universe, the Nazis won the war. And while the war is over, things are just heating up for Police Investigator John Rossett. Untrusted by his bosses at Metropolitan Police, Rossett is relegated to being a glorified pencil pusher. But when a violent killer known as the Bear murders an American consul and three Englishmen in Liverpool, Rossett’s interrogation skills get him off the bench and back into the game.

Rossett lends a hand to Generalmajor Erhard Neumann, but the two are unable to break the Bear, whose real name is Karl Bauer. Eventually, Bauer walks free–setting up a cat-and-mouse scenario between him and Rossett, who realizes his German counterpart has made the case personal.

Historical fiction has become especially popular as of late, with authors like Andrew Gross helping to take the genre to another level. For his part, Tony Schumacher is wildly underrated.

Whereas historical fiction thrillers tend to be bogged down by large portions of the book dedicated to explaining important facts to the reader, Schumacher finds a nice balance. Likewise, he isn’t boxed in by history, another issue a lot of writers have when trying to deliver a thriller with some real punch and suspense to fans of this genre. Schumacher circumvents all that with his own alternate universe set just after World War II, which he does a fine job bringing to life.

While the story isn’t always the most believable, especially to those who can’t get into Schumacher’s alternate universe, there’s plenty of action to keep readers interested throughout. The plot is predictable at times, but there are a few surprises along the way, which adds to the overall reading experience. But while Schumacher offers a deep cast of characters, some of them do feel a tad underdeveloped, especially for those who haven’t read the first two books in the series, The Darkest Hourand The British Lion.

In the end, Schumacher offers up a unique story that’s a nice change of pace from other historical fiction thrillers coming out this year.